11/19/10 - Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes

Today was my Friday off with the girls. YAY. 4-day work week this week, 2 days next week, sounds good to me!

The girls were great today. We all slept in a little bit. I got some QT alone with each lady. We got in lots of playing. It was just a perfect girl’s day in.

Christian picked up some dinner on his way home and we just spent some time together. After dinner, I wanted to get the dishes done and the kitchen cleaned up, so those three had a little dance party in the kitchen while I did that. These are the little moments I just love. Cleaning up and taking care of the house, with little intervals of play with my girls, while watching those three goof around and bond. Just, REAL family time. It doesn’t get much more perfect than that!

Finally it was time for baths and bed. I was pretty exhausted from a long week and long day, so I went straight to bed after the girls. Christian stayed up watching TV until who knows when….I don’t know how he can stay up like that all the time. I’m always passed out long before him!

Olivia has a new lov...body parts. She loves naming and pointing at her body parts these days…usually resulting in her pointing out your body parts as well. So, today, she proudly showed me her eyes, nose, mouth, ears and [messy] hair. She’s getting really good at it! She was bored with me taking pictures so she wouldn’t cooperate for anything else. Short attention span I guess!

11/18/10 - Busy "End" To the Week

Today was a typical busy-before-the-weekend day at work. I was there a little late trying to tie up all the loose ends (like usual). We did have a yummy breakfast potluck for a co-workers birthday today, and that was delightful! Christian has still been getting is 1-2 hours of OT every day. So, same old stuff there.

After work I was out and about doing a little shopping. Picked up Amelia’s last Christmas gift, grabbed a gift for a birthday party we’re going to next weekend and picked up a couple things for my mother-in-law. She’s getting Olivia the “Dance Star Mickey” for Christmas, and we were afraid they would sell out before she could get out shopping, so I grabbed it for her. Olivia is going to LOVE it!

After shopping, I met Christian over at his mom’s because she bought us dinner! YAY, free food :) We ate some yummy Chinese food, hung out for a bit then it was time to head home. The girls took their baths and went right to bed, so we just did our usual evening chores then we off to bed ourselves.

Here is a picture of Amelia, all snuggled up and ready for bed. Yes, she is still so small that we can swaddle her with a regular blanket. And, yes, she still requires swaddling for sleep. We’re starting to get a little worried about her size (Christian more so than I). She’s just not growing. She’ll be 4 months old next week, but she still swims in her 0-3 month clothes and size 1-2 diapers. She looks like she’s getting bigger, but she’s still light as a feather. Her 4 month check-up isn’t until 12/3, so we’re anxiously awaiting that to see what her actual stats are and how she’s growing. I’m sure everything is perfectly fine, but you can’t help but worry a little bit (especially since Olivia was so different)!

11/17/10 - And, the Shopping Begins!

Today ended up being a pretty busy day for us. I suppose with all of the holiday’s and craziness coming up, this is our temporary norm!

My mom took me to lunch today at work, which was a nice treat! After work, I stopped into Target to do a little shopping. I got the urge to get a little Christmas shopping done, so I stopped in to pick up a few things. I got the girls’ stockings done, and a good amount of their presents done. I need one more thing for Amelia, but our Target didn’t have it. I will be braving the Black Friday madness at Toys 'R' Us Thanksgiving night to get the last of Olivia’s Christmas and Birthday gifts. While I shopped, Christian was off to pick up the girls and help his mom put plastic up on one of their windows. We all met up back home to eat a yummy spaghetti dinner, watch a little TV and spend some time together before bed.

Amelia spent some time in her jumperoo while we ate. Olivia feels the need to “teach” Amelia how to use the jumperoo, so she’s always right there, pushing the seat up and down telling her to “jump jump”. I think she gets a little frustrated when Amelia doesn’t listen to her…it’s pretty entertaining. My girls, cute as can be!

11/16/10 - Ah, Family

Today was just a pretty low key day. After work we all just met up at home and spent the evening together. We ate some dinner, played, and just had a good ol’ time. Amelia has been spending more and more time on the floor. She’s rocking and scooting and turning all over the place. But, no rolling yet. She gets SO close, but then never completes that turn. Olivia is now into “helping” her roll over. This, is not good.

Olivia is becoming quite the little mommy. She’s always concerned about what the baby is doing and where she is. She feels the need to help her and teach her things. She “talks” to her all the time. She likes to copy me with one of her stuffed animals when I have the baby…she tries to hold her animal the same way, she copy’s what I’m doing when I play with Amelia. It’s really cute. Other than trying to force her to roll over, she’s been doing really well working on being “gentle” with the baby, which is great. She’s becoming quite the little lady!

After some playing and dinner, it was of course time for baths and bed. Our little routine is falling into place quite nicely. I bathe Amelia, get her dressed and ready for bed and feed her. Christian bathes Olivia, gets her ready for bed, brings her in to say good night to us (she gives us both a kiss and tells us she loves us), then he puts her down. He takes the dog out to go to the bathroom while I finish feeding Amelia and put her down (depending on how long she takes to eat, I get to watch a DVR’d show or two and relax, so that's an added bonus). Then, I make her bottles for the next day, wash up my "equipment", we pick up the house a little bit, then we’re off to bed. We’re getting this thing down now!

Olivia has taken over the baby swing seat…she can be seen here, hanging out with Mickey Mouse, while watching Mickey Mouse on the iPod! And, Amelia has officially discovered her feet! She loves ‘em!

11/15/10 - YAY for Boring!

Well, it’s Monday. Again. Work was pretty normal after the typical weekend-catch-up. I left a tad early to get our grocery shopping done. Christian and I got home at about the same time, put everything away, made some dinner and were able to just hang out for most of the night. All in all, it was a pretty boring day for us! I like boring…

Olivia took over one of our laundry hampers, and has claimed it for her own use. She gathers up her stuffed animals and hangs out in there. It’s pretty cute :)

11/14/10 - This Is The Life....

Today was the best day. Today was the day I've been waiting for, for so long! Today, was family day. Just the four of us, home, together, all day. No visitors, no shopping, nowhere to "run". Just us, at home. It was heaven.

We all got up and ate a quick breakfast. We were anxious to get outside as soon as we could! We all got bundled up, including little Amelia, and went for some play time in the snow. Even Chuy braved the weather and went prancing through the snow! Olivia and Christian built our first snowman EVER, while Amelia and I watched. It started getting pretty chilly, so Christian took Amelia inside while Olivia and I got our snowman dressed. Then, we just ran around the yard, falling all over in the snow, having the time of our lives! So fun :)

After our snow fun, we all ate some lunch, then it was nap time. While the girls napped, Christian and I watched the very disappointing Vikings game. Oh man, this season is just not looking good at all! I managed to get all of the dishes done and get the house picked up during the game. And, throughout the day, managed to get most of the laundry done. Christian was pretty much just on dad duty most of the day, but did manage to vacuum the upstairs.

So, that's about it. For the first time in such a long time, we were able to really just hang out together! And, we needed that :) Here are some pics of our snow fun!

11/13/10 - Hello Winter!

Well, Winter is definitely letting us know she is well on her way! It started snowing around midnight last night, and will did not stop all day! It was SO beautiful. I just love waking up to the first real snowfall of the year, it's such a great feeling. It's all so new and it glitters and makes everything look lit up. I think it's supposed to snow into tomorrow, then fade off. I highly doubt the snow we get will really stick around for good yet, but it's fun while it's here.

We woke up this morning, and she was so excited to see what had happened overnight. She kept staring out the window saying "Uh, Oh". I couldn't wait to get her out in it to play! Christian was offered some more OT today, so he was off to work bright and early. Amelia kept me up ALL night, so she ended up sleeping WAY in, so it was just Olivia and I all morning. I was getting anxious to take her out to play in the fresh snow, then, realized we are horrible parents and had completely forgotten to get her new snow boots! Ugh, no way I was taking Amelia out in it (it was VERY windy, wet and a very heavy, rainy kind snow), so we couldn't go until Christian got home from work. By the time he got home, the snow had piled up quite a bit, so he had to plow the drive way. Finally Olivia and I were off to Target. Target was PACKED, and everybody in the store was in the shoe section. Apparently we are not the only ones unprepared for this first snowfall! We picked up a pair of snow boots, and a pair of "dressier" boots - super cute, and on sale! By the time we got home, it was just too late, and it was quickly getting dark. So, we missed the first snowfall. Hopefully we'll make it out tomorrow. And, hopefully it won't be quite as slushy and icky tomorrow anyway!

We all just hung out indoors the rest of the night. Christian got the water to the outside turned off. We still have some plastic to put up, then we will officially be DONE preparing for winter. Such a process! It's probably going to be a pretty early night for us. Christian is beat from work and getting stuff done outside. I'm exhausted from NO sleep. Such is life!

Here are a couple first snow pics! A couple from the front yard, and Olivia getting a glimpse of the snow :)

11/12/10 - Monday/Friday

Well, my poor mother had another rough day with Amelia today. It was her day to watch the girls, and Amelia was definitely NOT on her best behavior. She was really fussy and wouldn't sleep again. I don't know why she gets like this. Everything I read says that a baby's digestive track usually works out any kinks between 4 and 6 months, so I really hope she starts feeling better in the next few months. I feel so bad for her, and I feel so bad leaving her with anybody else! Listening to a crying baby is hard enough for a parent, let along other people.

Work was good. It went by fast considering it felt like another Monday! It seriously felt like we had two Monday's, and two Friday's this week! Our office was pretty well staffed, but the building as a whole was DEAD! I kind of like it that way though. I flew home after work to relieve my mom, and Christian dropped off some dinner to me because he was going to run and grab dinner and a beer with a coworker. I finally got Amelia to eat and nap for a while...I know this is going to backfire and have me up all night, but the poor thing needs to sleep! Christian got home around bedtime. We spent some time playing, then got the girls to bed.

There is lots of rain and snow in the forecast for this weekend, so Christian quickly ran outside before bed to store away Olivia's outside toys for the winter. He got out there just as it started to rain too, so it's a good thing! I think it's safe to say we have had our last "nice day" of the year! But, personally, I am super excited to see the snow start flying!

Here is a picture of Amelia trying out the jumperoo! Looks like she likes it :) And, of course Olivia had to try it out as well.

11/11/10 - Thank You Vets!

Today is Veteran's Day. As a wonderful Government employee, I get the day off to spend with my girls. Thank you to all of the amazing service men and women, past and present, for the sacrifices you make for all of us!

Today was a great day. The girls and I got to sleep in a little bit, and we all just hung out around the house. Amelia took a little cat nap in the morning, giving Olivia and I some time to go play outside. The extended forecast is looking like lots of rain and snow the next few days, so we wanted to take advantage of the still decent weather. We piled up leaves and went jumping, she and Chuy chased each other around the yard. It was lots of fun, and she was exhausted. We finally went inside, she ate a quick lunch while I fed Amelia, then they both went down for their REAL naps. Olivia actually walked herself into the crib (with Mickey, Minnie and Blankie in tote, of course)...that NEVER happens. And, they proceeded to take a GLORIOUS 3 hour nap! It was wonderful.

After naps, we snacked and hung out, waiting for Dad to get home. We had a very exciting dinner of chicken nuggets and tater tots tonight...hey, sometimes you just need a cooking break! After dinner, we took apart the swing and packed it away downstairs. Actually...that's not true...Olivia decided she needed to keep the seat part of the swing to sit in. Whatever makes her happy I suppose! Amelia never uses the swing, she does not like it, so we decided it was time to go. I think it's time to break out the jumperoo already anyway! WOW, it's going to fast.

Here are some pics of out outdoor fun today! I just love this girl!

11/10/10 - Friday?

Well, today is my Friday, kind of, but not really. I have tomorrow off for Veteran's Day...but then I work on Friday. So really, I have two Friday's this week. But, I kind of have two Monday's as well...that's no fun!

Today was a pretty low key day. Our computer systems at work pretty much died on us towards the end of the day, so the few of us that were left in the office got to sneak out a little early. YAY. Our bigger news, is that Christian was approached with a bit of a job offer today at work, and we have no idea really what to do...

Christian started at his job working the overnight shift. Early in my pregnancy with Olivia, his union went on strike. Unfortunately, we couldn't afford for him to remain on strike (we had JUST bought our house, and just found out I was pregnant), so after 2 weeks off he returned to work. They moved a few guys over to the day shift to make up for the strikers, and when the strike ended, a few people didn't come back, so he was able to stay on the day shift. Part of the return to work deal was a pay freeze for 5 years, so he's been pretty stuck for a while. However, he gets quite a bit of OT...usually at least an hour every day, and a Saturday here and there (especially during the holiday season). At his work, it is VERY hard to get on the day shift, and even harder to move ahead in the company. The company is full of "lifers", so they don't go through many changes. Well, yesterday one of the managers approached him, boasted about the great job he does and how they appreciate his willingness to help out and everything. And, asked him "hypothetically", how he would feel about taking a Supervisor role...on the night shift. Ugh...ALMOST the perfect offer.

There are so many pros and cons. I mean, we're not in the poor house or anything, but we definitely live paycheck to paycheck, so if the position offered a substantial raise, it would be really nice. It's really hard to move ahead in the company, so these offers don't come along very often. He really does deserves the recognition for everything he does. But, at the same time, I'd be home alone with the girls EVERY night (and have to get them ready in the morning all on my own). They would still have to be in daycare because he can't watch them all day after working all night. He would only see us on the weekends. And, it would be really hard for him to ever get back on the day shift.

Ugh, such a hard decision. Well, not really a decision as there hasn't been any formal offer or anything yet, but still. So much to think about! Right now, I'm thinking it's not going to happen...I think the sacrifice is far greater than any potential gain, but we'll see. It would really come down to what kind of pay they would offer. I'm guessing the supervisors don't work the kind of OT the staff does...so if the pay didn't make up for the OT he gets now, and then some, it would not be worth it at all. But, we'll see...

Other than that, it was a pretty low key day. Christian ended up picking up the girls today...and we got hit with a mega thunderstorm out of nowhere just as he was picking them up. So they stayed there to wait out the storm, while I got some cleaning done and dinner cooked. It was great getting stuff done for a change! Tomorrow I'll be spending the day with my girls, can't wait!

Here's a picture of Amelia enjoying some tummy time tonight...she's getting so big! And, also a video of her being a little giggle machine! I just love ending my day like this!